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William Stahl (NSDF Commander)
Commander William Stahl was a strategist who worked with the NSDF during its formation. It was he who headed the strategic assessment of Wilhelm Arkin's designs, and subsequently produced the initial strategy guide for NSDF field commanders. Disappearance Other than that he worked with the US Military as a strategist, little is known about Commander Stahl before his time with the NSDF. In August 1958, Stahl's assassination was reported alongside that of colleague Andrew Goldman. Both men were said to have been killed in the same manner, with the authorities having found no connection between their murders. This report was false, and was one of a spate of faked deaths orchestrated by the NSDF in order to allow its staff to leave the public eye.Battlezone (1998) With the NSDF Stahl was a senior commander in the NSDF, responsible for drawing up many of their tactics. It was he who headed a team providing strategic assessment of designs produced by Arkin Industries, including in particular an opinion on how the results could be used in combat. On the whole Stahl and his staff were impressed by Arkin's designs. They approved particularly of the vehicles' improved maneuverability, the pulsing radar, of nano-ammo and the hard point system, and of the new command system Arkin had designed. They did raise several issues with these systems, concerning pilot familiarity in all cases but their concerns that the radar might have difficulty in detecting slow-moving targets. The team were not in favor of the production units' requirement for a geyser power source, but understood its necessity and on the whole approved of the versatility provided by their mobility. Stahl agreed with the logic behind the scavenger concept, commenting that the management of resources would be essential to success on the battlefield. He also noted that it was important to control both sources of biometal, and the risk of providing the enemy with resources if an attack failed. The trade-off of a lack of armament for increased cargo space in the scavenger concerned the team slightly but they noted that any enemy would likely make the same decision, and that this would make their scavengers excellent targets. The team noted that forward outposts would provide a significant weakness in the NSDF's operation and required both careful placement and protection. The defensive schematics put forward by Arkin Industries were met with their approval, but the vulnerability of the Badger when mobile did concern them. Stahl also took the opportunity to suggest using the Badger and Unabomber in tandem, using the latter to slow the approach of enemy forces to allow the former to fire on them for longer. The gun tower was also met with general approval, including the decision to separate the power source from the tower itself in order to increase resource efficiency - though concerns were raised about the potential weakness this might present. Stahl also approved greatly of the construction rig but was concerned that the lack of a demolition option might prevent commanders from retrieving resources from buildings easily. He also approved of the overview provided by the communication tower, but noted that it came with the significant drawback of revealing the user's position to enemy forces. Stahl's team also approved of the provided assault unit schematics. He did raise the high casualties that could result from an APC attack, but noted that they could be justifiable under certain circumstances. He disapproved of the Sasquatch's lack of maneuverability but liked the power it presented, and his issues with the Howitzer mirrored those he had with the Badger. Ultimately Stahl was significantly impressed by Arkin's designs, describing the extent to which they surpassed existing forces as "frightening".Battlezone Manual Death :This section assumes Battlezone's Commander Stahl and Battlezone: Battle Grounds' Captain Stahl are the same individual. Despite his initial confidence in the NSDF's capability to win the biometal war, Stahl was involved almost to the very end of the conflict more than a decade later, by which point he had received promotion to the rank of Captain. Shortly after the destruction of the Fury Transport on Achilles he was assigned to explore a drained river-bed in the attempt to quantify a cache of relics discovered there, but he was shot and killed by a CCA Sniper shortly after arrival.Battlezone: Battle Grounds Appearances *Battlezone Manual *Battlezone Trivia *Stahl is named after William Stahl, one of Battlezone's designers. References Category:Characters Category:NSDF